Time can slip by faster than we have the ability to realize just how fleeting it is. I find that most of the days when I’m home from school, I’m reuniting with friends whom I’ve not seen due to the distance-creating-factory known as college. If I’m not doing that, then I’m catching up on Netflix, or doing something else wasting time.

Ah, how we waste time as if we had so much of it to spare.

I love my parents, I’ve always loved my parents, and I will always love my parents. We’ve argued, not seen eye to eye, said things we didn’t mean, made mistakes we didn’t plan, but, in the long run of things, we are a family. Nothing is more beautiful than the bond that a family has.

Well mom and dad, this one goes out to you.

I want to start by saying thank you. You always put my needs ahead of your own, and that hasn’t gone unnoticed. Thank you for always being there for the countless sporting events, musicals, church plays, and high school baseball seasons where I played in a maximum of five games in a given season. Thank you mom and dad, for driving me everywhere I needed to be, whenever I needed to be there, no matter what your already-hectic schedule looked like. You were always there for me when I needed you, and I can’t thank you enough for that. Not only that, but in all those games I never played in, musicals and plays I acted horribly in, you never once gave up on the notion that I would be somebody someday. That’s inspired me to be who I am today. That’s the reason I try my hardest in everything. You are the reason.

Ten years ago, I still held both of your hands when crossing the street, and I still asked permission to go six doors down the road to hang out with a friend. That said, I also want to tell you that I love you both just as much as that younger version of myself did 10 years ago. I’ve never been the greatest at fully expressing it, because I’m a shy person when it comes to those three words, even to the faces of family members.

I also want to tell you that I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all the time I’ve wasted on stupid fights, unnecessary temper tantrums, and for letting you down via some of the huge mistakes I’ve made. You’ve been there for me through it all, and if I could take back every argument with the two of you, I would in a heartbeat. The last thing I’ve ever wanted to do is to let you down, and I try every day of my life to avoid it at all costs. However, you’ve never left my side, and I can’t thank you enough for that.

When all is said and done, mom, dad, I love you. And that’s what really matters. You’ve loved me at my best, just as much as at my worst. This article can’t even begin to capture all that you do for me on a daily basis. You have literally made me who I am today, and have installed in me a sense of courage that I’d never have had without you. I can be who I am today, because of you. All that being said, I will always be your baby, and I love you with all of my heart.